The Handmade Fair 2015

It’s been a while since my last post, unfortunately real life gets in the way sometimes. However, I haven’t been neglecting my crafting completely, and a trip to The Handmade Fair has left me completely inspired.

I bought tickets to this year’s event after a recommendation by Merrie and Nicola of The Peachy Pair, who would also be keeping me company for the day. It’s safe to say that I was very excited about attending, especially choosing my workshops for the day.

Workshops and Demonstrations

There are loads of sessions on offer, and I was torn between trying something completely new or trying to improve my skills on something I’d tried before. I chose a Calligraphy demonstration in the Super Theatre, a short quilting workshop, and finally a lino printing workshop.

I came away from the calligraphy demonstration, run by Chiara Perano of Lamplighter London, feeling completely inspired. I’m a bit of a ‘font geek’ (no comic sans around here, thank you), so this was right up my street. I’m now keeping an eye out for a calligraphy starter kit so that I can have a bash.

Zeena Shah was running a lino-printing workshop. I’ve been following Zeena on Instagram for a while now, and she is just as lovely as the work she produces! During the workshop, I made a little Robin stamp, which I used to decorate a very early Christmas card for Mr Makes and Bakes! I’ve had a lino-printing kit sat in my craft room for a while, but have never really got the hang of it. Following this workshop, I’m definitely going to be using it again, and I’ve pre-ordered Zeena’s book to hopefully learn some more techniques.

I also attended a bloggers session run by Louise of BLoved. I’m pretty new to blogging and was keen to pick up some tips on photography for Instagram. I didn’t come away disappointed, during the session we were able to have a go at syling some photos using the lovely props provided. I think this was probably the session that I learnt the most from, I’m now going to think more about my brand and styling, and I’m definitely going to rely less on Instagram filters! There is more information about this session on the BLoved blog, if you look carefully you’ll see a photo of me in my distinctive green coat!

Shopping

As well as workshops and demonstrations, there were also two shopping villages. I’d been saving my pennies so that I could treat myself, and I’m so glad that I did. There was such an amazing selection of sellers to buy from, and I stocked up on quite a few bits:

Tilly and the Buttons Coco Pattern and fabric from Fabric Godmother. I’ve been wanting the Tilly Coco pattern for a while now, and I’ve been a fan of Tilly since she was on the Great British Sewing Bee, so I was super excited to visit her stand. Tilly was absolutely lovely and provided lots of guidance around the patterns, I came away feeling that I can make my own clothes, and it doesn’t have to be scary. I also wanted to get some jersey fabric for my Coco, and Fabric Godmother had a fantastic selection to pick from. I could have easily spent a lot more money, and the website has now been added to my favourites!

‘My Happy Place’ print by The Paper Hare. Again, The Paper Hare is someone I’ve been following on Instagram for a while now, Georgie does such lovely illustrations, and I couldn’t resist the ‘My Happy Place’ print, which will be going up in my craft room. At the event, she was also offering personalised notebooks, which I’ll probably be adding to my Christmas list this year.

Ragged Life Rug Kit. The carpet of my craft room isn’t very nice, and I could definitely do with a pretty rug to cover it up, so I bought one of the Ragged Life Rug Kits to have a go at creating one myself. I was really impressed with everything you got in the kit, it was fantastic value!

Floss & Mischief Cross Stitch Kit. I’ve rediscovered a love of cross stitch this year, and Floss & Mischief is a brand I’ve been eyeing up for a few months. I bought the ‘Flutter’ kit, which is some lovely pastel feathers. I’ve been working away on this on the cold autumn evenings, and am determined to finish it as soon as possible.

Overall, I had a fantastic time at The Handmade Fair. For around £30, I thought it provided excellent value, and I’ve already decided that I will be going again next year. My lasting memory is that everyone was just so lovely, be it the people running workshops, stall holders, or just other visitors. There was a real community vibe to the whole day, and I can’t recommend it enough!

About Me

Hi! I’m Emma, designer of products that promote positivity and general good vibes. I love chocolate biscuits, boxsets, and the colour yellow, and am a firm believer that a cup of tea can solve almost everything.